1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for implementing a redundant structure (also called a dual or duplex configuration) of an ATCA (Advanced Telecom Computing Architecture) system via a base interface of a network system based on an ATCA standard, and the ATCA system for use in the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since the ATCA standard has been recently being introduced to network devices, many of the compatibility limitations between the network devices have been obviated, and the cost of ATCA device-associated technologies have been reduced.
The above-mentioned network system based on the ATCA standard (hereinafter referred to as an ATCA system) employs duplex or dual configurations of individual internal constituent elements. These ATCA individual internal constituent elements can include, for example, a routing protocol shelf, a switch fabric shelf, a shelf management control (ShMC) shelf, and IPC shelves.
The ATCA standard provides only duplex- or duplex-hardware configurations of individual shelves. However, the ATCA standard does not provide unique functions to be executed by the individual shelves so as to implement the duplex hardware configurations.
A network system incapable of satisfying the ATCA standard may even require hardware and software engineering to achieve duplex configuration.
However, an ATCA system that does implement the duplex configuration within a predetermined range means the hardware standard is not compromised.
In more detail, the conventional ATCA system independently configures a duplex channel or hardware device between the individual shelves, and can implement the duplex configuration by allowing duplex shelves to communicate with each other via the above-mentioned channel or hardware device. However, configuring the above-mentioned conventional ATCA system is difficult to add additional channels or hardware devices for implementing the duplex configuration within the ATCA standard. As a result, the ATCA system cannot be configured in a duplex configuration using the above-mentioned conventional method without significant changes.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional ATCA system. Referring to FIG. 1, the ATCA system includes a Routing Protocol (RP) shelf 101, an Inter-Processor Communication (IPC) shelf 102, a Switch Fabric (SF) shelf 103, a Line Interface (LI) shelf 104, a Shelf Management Control (ShMC) unit. Two RP shelves 101, two IPC shelves 102, two SF shelves 103, and two ShMC shelves 105 are required to implement the duplex configuration.
The RP shelf 101 acts as a processor shelf for controlling overall operations of the ATCA system and the routing process. The RP shelf 101 transmits or receives control packets to other shelves 103, 104, and 105 contained in the ATCA system via the IPC shelf 102 connected to the base interface 110 defined in the ATCA standard.
The IPC shelf 102 acts as a switch for exchanging control packets with individual shelves, and is connected as a dual-star configuration to the individual shelves 101, 104, and 105 via the base interface 110.
The SF shelf 103 acts as a switching shelf for exchanging packet data with a plurality of LI shelves 104, and is connected as a dual-star or full-mesh configuration to the LI shelves 104 via a fabric interface 120.
The LI shelf 104 acts as an I/O (Input/Output) interface between the ATCA system and an external device, and at least one LI shelf 104 exists. Each LI shelf 104 is connected to the SF shelf 103 via the fabric interface 120, and is connected to the IPC shelf via the base interface 110.
The ShMC shelf 105 manages status-, sensor-, and event-information of the individual shelves 101, 102, 103, and 104 contained in the ATCA system, and controls the power of each shelf 101, 102, 103, or 104, such that it can manage the ATCA system. In more detail, the ShMC shelf 105 is connected to the RP shelf 101 via the base interface 110, performs IPC communication, and at the same time manages each shelf via an IPMB (Intelligent Platform Management Bus) interface 130.
The base interface 110 is implemented with a duplex path between the RP shelf 101 and the IPC shelf 102 or between the IPC shelf 102 and the LI shelf 104. The base interface 110 is implemented with a single path between the IPC shelf 102 and the SF shelf 103 or between the IPC shelf 102 and the ShMC shelf 105.
The above-mentioned interface applied to the ATCA system will hereinafter be described with reference to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating an ATCA system's backplane based on the ATCA standard.
Referring to FIG. 2, the base interface 110 and the fabric interface 120 are defined in a “Zone2” area for transmitting ATCA-based high-speed data. The IPMB interface for managing the ATCA system of the ShMC shelf 105 is defined in a “Zone1” area based on the ATCA standard.
The IPC shelf 102 and the SF shelf 103 are located at the same places, such that they can be easily connected to the base interface 110 and the fabric interface 120. Generally, the IPC shelf 102 and the SF shelf 103 are integrated in a single shelf, or the IPC shelf 102 configured in the form of a dot-shelf is located at the SF shelf 103.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the IPC shelf 102 and the SF shelf 103.
Referring to FIG. 3, the SF shelf 103 includes: a switch processor (SWP) 301 for controlling the IPC switching operation and the data switching operation; a data switch 302 for switching I/O packets of the LI shelves 104 via the fabric interface 120; and an IPMC (Intelligent Platform Management Controller) 304 for communicating with the ShMC shelf 105 via the IPMB interface 130, and performing shelf management.
The IPC shelf 102 includes the IPC switch 303 for switching data exchanged with individual shelves via the base interface 110. The IPC switch 303 is controlled by a switch processor 301 contained in the SF shelf 103.
The switch processor controls the data switch 302 and the IPC switch 303 via the data bus 305.
In addition, the IPC switch 303 configures the Ethernet interface with the SF shelf 103 via the line 307.
As described above, the ATCA standard has hardware for the duplex configuration, however, it does not describe a method for controlling a duplex configuration between two RP shelves 101, a duplex configuration between two IPC shelves 102, a duplex configuration between two SF shelves 103, and a duplex configuration between two LI shelves 104. As a result, it is difficult to implement a stable duplex configuration using only the above-mentioned configurations and components.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a duplex configuration of the ShMC shelf used for the conventional ATCA system.
Referring to FIG. 4, the reference numbers 401 and 402 indicate two duplex ShMC shelves. The reference numbers 404 and 405 indicate two duplex SF shelves. In this case, the SF shelves 404 and 405 include the IPC shelves, each of which is configured in the form of a dot shelf, or the SF shelves 404 and 405 may be located at the same shelf.
In order to acquire stable duplex operations from the above-mentioned duplex configuration, duplex information is continuously communicated between an active ShMC shelf 401 and an inactive ShMC shelf (also called a standby ShMC shelf) 402, and is continuously communicated between an active SF shelf 404 and an inactive SF shelf (also called a standby SF shelf) 405. In this case, if an unexpected problem occurs in the active shelf, the inactive shelf (i.e., the standby shelf) must quickly enter into the active mode.
For this purposes, the ShMC shelf 401 transmits/receives duplex-associated information to/from the other ShMC shelf 402 over a single Ethernet channel 403 received via the base interface 110. If an unexpected problem does occur during the communication time of the two ShMC shelves 401 and 402, then shelf switching is performed.
The ShMC shelf 401 is connected to the SF shelf 404 over a single Ethernet channel 409 received via the base interface, and the other ShMC shelf 402 is connected to the other SF shelf 405 over a single Ethernet channel 410 received via the base interface. The ShMC shelf 401 is connected to the first IPMC 406 contained in the SF shelf 404 via the IPMB interface 408, and the other ShMC shelf 402 is connected to the second IPMC 407 contained in the other SF shelf 405 via the IPMB interface 408, such that the ATCA system can be managed by the ShMC shelves 401 and 402.
For reference, interfaces of the SF shelves 404 and 405 are interconnected via a backplane 413, and interfaces of the ShMC shelves 401 and 402 are interconnected via the other backplane 414. The backplanes 413 and 414 are separated from each other.
However, each of the Ethernet channels 409 and 410 contained in the above-mentioned duplex configuration is configured in the form of a single configuration. Therefore, if unexpected problems occur in the Ethernet port, the conventional ATCA system has difficulty in performing normal duplexing operations.